Various massage machines or devices are known for pressing or stimulating the shoulders, waist or other parts of the human body to remove stiffness. According to the type, such devices can be divided into the chair type, bed type and handy type. With respect to the mode of action on the affected part, these devices resort to finger pressure, vibrations or electrical stimulation.
FIG. 13 shows a massage machine 90 of the chair type which is especially in wide use among other massage devices. The machine 90 comprises a chair 91 for the person to be massaged (hereinafter referred to as the "user"), and a pair of therapeutic fingers 95, 95 projecting forward from the backrest 92 of the chair. Each of the finger 95 comprises an arm 93 coupled to a motor (not shown) for driving the finger, and a contact portion 94 provided at the forward end of the arm 93 and adapted to be brought into contact with the affected part of the user. When the motor is driven, the therapeutic fingers 95, 95 perform a tapping operation vertically of the machine or a lateral kneading operation to massage the user.
Although adapted to massage the posterior part of the user's shoulder and the back, the massage machine thus constructed is unable to massage the upper part or the upper to frontal part of the shoulder.
Furthermore, the massage machine continually massages a particular portion of the affected part, so that if the machine is used for a prolonged period of time, the affected part will feel painful or becomes insensitive, or the user is likely to become tired of massage.
The massage machine acts on the user by pressing the affected part from behind, so that if used continuously, the upper part of the user's body is gradually pushed forward, failing to remain in position stably. Thus, the machine is unable to produce a satisfactory massage effect.
Additionally, when the machine is used for massaging the affected part of the user, especially the back or the waist, it is impossible to alter the area of the pressing contact of the therapeutic finger contact portion 94 with the user's body. In other words, the pressing force to be applied locally by the contact portion can not be increased or decreased to give the desired intensity.
An object of the present invention is to provide a chair-type massage machine and massage unit which are adapted to give a wide variety of massage operations.
Another object of the invention is to provide a massage machine of the chair type for applying a pressing force concentrically or dividedly so as to massage the user with the desired intensity.